


In Moonlight We Meet

by Malakia



Series: Naruto Drabbles and Short Stories [31]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Meetings, Gen, Kakashi isn't so messed up, M/M, Pre-Konoha Village, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malakia/pseuds/Malakia
Summary: Kakashi snuck off from his home but never imagined his adventure would turn out like this
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Senju Tobirama, Hatake Sakumo/Ootsutsuki Kaguya
Series: Naruto Drabbles and Short Stories [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1124142
Comments: 17
Kudos: 164





	In Moonlight We Meet

**Author's Note:**

> In the Kakashi Lounge Discord server, we are doing an event and the prompt was 'Moon.' So here we are! Also based around Sloaner's Kagumo AU. SUCH A GOOD AU. So Kakashi is an Otsutsuki :3

The moonlight offered the only visibility as Kakashi raced through the woods of Earth. He had hoped to be here early when the sun was out but his mother had been particularly attentive today as if she _knew_ he might try for an escape. For all he knew, she probably did.

Yet that wasn't his concern anymore. He was _here._ On Earth. The wind in his hair, the sharp smells of the woods and dirt, and the summer warmth surrounding him. It was better than he remembered.

He only had a few memories when he was a child. But all of that had been trapped in the palace or the temple. He had never felt the roughened terrain beneath his feet, or knew how far the trees extended beyond his home, and never met another person that wasn't bowing at his feet just because he was _Lady_ _Kaguya's_ son.

And then the humans started to war and Mother took him, his father, and her followers to the moon.

But now he was a grown man and he wanted to return to Earth. The moon and the artificial environments could never compare to what he remembered. Thankfully, his father understood and this night might not have been possible without his assistance.

He glanced up at the moon, the full face shining down. He smirked underneath his mask at how far away it appeared but if only people knew of the secret spots where one could teleport to his home.

Ahead of him, there was a clearing that looked to open up to a river. He picked up his pace until he was out in the open and came to a stop at the river banks.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was a soft shift in the scent here because of the rushing river and he wondered if this is what the ocean smelled like.

When he opened his eyes, he leaned forward to see himself in the river's water and it was delightful to see the pebbles at the bottom rather than the smooth basin of the streams that ran through the city where he lived.

As he bent down to pick up one of the rocks, he suddenly froze at the sensation of another chakra signature coming into his field of sensory. It was coming toward him fast like a highly trained Otsutsuki retainer. Yet despite the chakra almost being completely hidden- something that might only work for human senses- it clearly wasn't a signature of someone he recognized, so not one of his mother's followers. He knew though that the humans were still at war with one another and he had hoped the remain out of sight of any clans. He silently cursed and wondered if he passed a ward that he hadn’t sensed.

He bent all the way down but kept his attention to his back.

The presence he felt came to an abrupt stop at the tree line. The person, as he could only imagine as such, hid behind one of the trees there. 

The hair on the back of Kakashi’s neck raised at the feeling of being watched. He continued to kneel on the bank for a moment more, but when it became clear that the person wasn’t going to move he stood up. 

He looked up at the moon once more, trying to appear as if he was admiring it, to decide what he should do. He could wait until the person decided to show themselves or perhaps he could call out to them. One might take too long for his liking, however, and the other option could make him appear as a threat at being able to detect the individual. 

Then a third option came to his mind. 

Smirking, he turned away from where the person was hiding and began to run along the river’s edge. It was only half a second before the chakra signature began to follow from the trees. 

Kakashi followed the river. He kept running along with it for a while, hoping that maybe the presence would go away. He knew that humans now had ‘clan boundaries’ from when he did his research before he came. Probably a person that was a lookout for his clan. All he had to do was keep going until he was out of their clan’s boundary. 

Or so he thought. As he continued to the run well beyond when a boundary should be (so he assumed) the presence still kept following. He hummed before he decided to switch tactics. 

He suddenly stopped and slipped his hands in the open sleeves of his kimono. He gripped the kunai settled in one of them before he closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before he spun around casually. 

“Maa, it is very rude to follow someone,” he airily drawled.

Silence greeted him with no signs of movement. Still, he kept looking in the direction of the person and waited patiently. 

Just when he thought he might have to approach the person himself, there was the rustling of leaves. 

The man that stepped out into the moonlight wore blue armor with white fur lining around the neck. He was about Kakashi’s height and had short wild white hair that was being held back from his face because of a happuri. His red eyes were narrowed and penetrating; if Kakashi was a lesser man he would actually tremble in fear. In the little light he had, the Otsutsuki could also three red lines on the man’s face: one on the center of his chin, and the other two running diagonally across each cheek. And on the happuri, he could make out a clan symbol: one that Kakashi vaguely remembered reading as being Senju.

The man stopped at the tree line and stood with both feet apart in a firm stance. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned. 

“Odd thing to say,” the man spoke in a deep voice, “for one that is trespassing.”

“Am I?” Kakashi tilted his head to the side. “I’m sorry. I was sure I was out of your clan’s lands.”

“Even if you were,” the man challenged, “what makes you think you would just be left alone? For all I know you could be a spy.”

Kakashi smiled, or a least gave the best version of one that was conveyed through his eyes since his mouth was covered. He could feel the tension in the air between the two of them and wondered how he was going to get out of this. He didn’t want to fight but, if he had to, there would be no hesitation in killing this man. And that seemed like a complete waste since the man was only defending his family’s lands. 

“Maa, I am no spy,” Kakashi claimed. “Just merely a man out wondering.”

“Do you take me for a fool?” the man barked. He bared his teeth in a sneer. “A wonderer would stick to the roads. Not the river. Especially one that leads towards Hatake lands.” 

Kakashi’s back muscles twitched slightly at the mention of his father’s clan. The back of his neck began to grow warm as he stiffened, realizing what it actually it could look like now. In his ‘human’ form, he could easily pass off as one of his father’s people. Added with the navy and brown clothing he wore to blend in with the trees of the area, he really would have looked like a spy at this time of night. 

“I think there has been a misunderst-” Before he could even finish that sentence the man through a flurry of kunai in his direction. 

He turned his body to the side to dodge the incoming attack, never taking his eyes off his opponent. Yet before he could counter with the kunai he had pulled out of his sleeve, he felt it. A _shift_ in the air that was not quite the electricity of lightning or the dimension traveling abilities that some of the Otsutsuki have. The third eye on his forehead snapped open and now he could see the path of whatever this ability was to come to an end right behind him.

Despite his better judgment, he snapped his head toward it _just as the man suddenly appeared there._ He had a raised sword in his hands and swiftly brought it down on Kakashi. 

Kakashi barely had time to move out of the way. He wasn’t entirely able to dodge it though and hissed when the tip of the sword cut down the skin over his left eye. He rolled back to create distance and took a defensive crouch when he stopped.

He put pressure over his eye and only slightly pulled the hand away to see the sticky red of his blood. Luckily, the weapon hadn’t damaged his eye. So while it would be annoying to fight with one eye, he wasn’t in threat of losing it. 

He was so concerned for his eye, it took him a second longer to realize that the headband he had was now lying a few feet away from him. He cursed at moved his bloody hand to his forehead in realizing that his third eye was still open and quickly tried to cover it with his bangs as he closed it.

He snapped his gaze towards his opponent, but the man hadn’t moved an inch as he now stared at Kakashi with wide eyes and mouth slightly a gap. 

Kakashi slowly stood up and thought perhaps he could play whatever the man saw as a trick of the moonlight. 

Instead, the man snapped his mouth shut and straightened. “You...,” his voice was shaky and he had to stop so he could take a deep breath and swallow, “You aren’t human.” 

The Otsutsuki silently cursed because there was a tone of finality in his voice. Clearly, he wasn’t going to trick the man. 

He swallowed. “Perhaps,” he replied with a bit of a laugh to shroud the edginess in his body.

He watched the white-haired man’s face sharpen and his breath caught. Gooseflesh rose on his body as he could _see_ the man throwing whatever he thought Kakashi was out the window and piecing him back together in the same instance.

When the man’s face slackened, Kakashi shivered and took a deep breath, remembering to breathe. 

The man still kept a firm grip on his sword but tilted his head a little, eyes accusing. “A wanderer?” he challenged. “What does an Otsutsuki need to wander for?”

Silently, Kakashi cursed again. He moved and pressed his hand harder against his wound while trying to do a quick escape plan. “While I am honored you think so,” he thanked, still keeping his voice cheery, “but what makes you think I am an Otsutsuki? I don’t have horns or very white skin.”

His sharp eyes traveled up and down Kakashi’s body before he snorted. “No,” he agreed, “you don’t.” He sent a pointed at him. “But I know of no other clan that has the Rinnegan.” 

Kakashi stood there, rooted on the spot. He could clearly deny this claim but the man was smart and insightful. He might not take the bait.

Before he could continue, the man looked up at the moon before he turned back to Kakashi. “There is a tale that has been passed down in my clan: one that speaks of a goddess that took her followers to the moon when war broke out amongst the humans. The Otsutsuki- apparently the ones here on Earth- also have a similar tale...” 

Momentarily, Kakashi was stunned to hear that there were Otsutsuki on Earth. He knew _of_ them from Mother, Father, and the history scrolls he had read. He never imagined though they would still be around. But he was able to gain his composure after a second more. 

“Sounds like a very nice folk tale,” Kakashi complimented mockingly, “but you don’t seem like a man that is prone to fanciful stories.”

The man huffed. “I’m not,” he then, surprisingly, placed his sword away, “but I am also a man that is open to all possibilities and I have witnessed strange things that can’t always be explained.” He folded his arms over his chest. “But there are _facts_ that align with my theory. And the fact that you refuse- or avoid- to answer my questions is giving more and more credence to my theory.”

Kakashi sighed heavily and pressed his lips firmly together. “...I could just kill you so word won’t get out about me.”

The man smirked sharply, baring all his teeth. “I would like to see you try.” 

Both of them stared each other down. A battle of silent wits where Kakashi tried to think of a move that he could take to incapacitate the man in front of him. Yet when he thought he might have an opening, the man would twitch in the area he imagined striking and was a clear indication he would _counter._

Kakashi ground his teeth. Even when he held his body completely still to not give a tell, the man would _still_ indicate that he would be able to fend him off. The only satisfaction he got was when the man’s infuriating smirk disappeared as he frowned in concentration.

Even still, Kakashi wasn’t necessarily angered at this ordeal. No, his body was electrified, heart rate beating fast, as he tried to outwit his opponent. He had only felt like this when he sparred against Mother or Father since the rest of their family (or followers) could not compare. He could predict their movements and knew the quickest way to subdue them. But this human- _this man-_ was matching him in their invisible dance.

Finally, he realized that the only way to handle this situation was if he decided to change back into his true form. He could easily overcome the man and be done with this. But...

He didn’t want to. 

Instead, he found his posture slacking. The man raised an eyebrow at him, probably the only indication of surprise. 

Honestly, even he was surprised by himself, but he had never met someone like the man before him. Someone that was _equal to him._

“So,” Kakashi drawled. “Assuming your theory is correct,” he refused to admit full defeat, “what are you going to do with me?”

The man blinked at him slowly, frown lessening to a neutral line. He was silent for a moment longer before he stated, “I would urge you to go back to the moon.” 

Kakashi was taken aback and tilted his head. “No killing me?” he challenged. “I could be a spy for the Otsutsuki.”

The man snorted. “I highly doubt they would come back from their high thrown.” 

The Otsutsuki stiffened and frowned. He would have glared at the white-haired man but was stopped when he saw a flash of fire in the other’s eyes. 

“After all,” the man went on with a bit of venom in his tone, “if the tales are to be believed, the Otsutsuki is the cause of all our problems- including this ongoing war.”

Silence filled the space between them. Slowly, the words sunk into his mind and Kakashi just stared at the man. Then a fire began to build in his body as he glared at the man. “The Otsutsuki?” he confronted, trying to keep his voice level. “Why is that?”

The man raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you not know?” Before Kakashi could even say anything, the man shook his head. 

“How could you _not?”_ His red eyes were like fire now as he stared Kakashi down. “Supposedly, many clans stem from the Otsutsuki. But even more important is that there is a tale of two brothers- heirs of Hagoromo, who supposedly helped humans learn how to use chakra- that started this war because one was chosen to lead the Otsutsuki Clan over another.” His hands tightened around his biceps while his face twisted into an ugly sneer. “I gave no mind to it since no one no longer knows _how_ this ridiculous war started.” He pointed looked at Kakashi. “But if _you_ exist then there _must_ be some truth in it.”

As the man spoke, Kakashi gradually lowered the hand that was covering his bleeding eye. He stared, for the lack of a better thing to do, as he processed the tale. Because there _was_ truth in it as he connected the dots of what he knew. 

It was only from a vague context. He knew his two half-siblings, Hagoromo and Hamura, had helped humans learn chakra control with Mother’s blessing. After some time, Hamura had gone to the moon to live (in fact, when they migrated to the moon, his half-brother was the one to greet them with open arms) while Hagoromo continued to live on Earth. 

Kakashi was young but he remembered Hagoromo and his children, Indra and Ashura. He wasn’t close to them though because they never visited his half-brother’s home- that side of the family only ever came to where Mother had lived. He recalled though that in the last few years on Earth that it was only Hagoromo started to visit. 

He may have been a child but he wasn’t an idiot. He could feel the tension in the air whenever Hagoromo came to visit. And he never missed how Father would take him away to another area of their home. He managed to sneak away once and go to where his half-brother and Mother were. He only had to hear the resentful and irritated tone in biting words to know he shouldn’t be involved. 

And, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, it would make _sense._ If this problem started with Hagoromo and his succession of who would be clan leader, Mother would have taken them far away as possible from the violence. After all, his mother had learned a hard lesson, long ago, about getting involved with problems that weren’t caused by or included her.

Kakashi’s stomach rolled as reality finally set in. He wanted to throw up at the actions of _his blood family_ had on this war that the humans were currently experiencing. The man was right, it was ridiculous.

Then he frowned as he thought of something. “But why are the other clans fighting then?” he voiced. “Shouldn’t it be between only two?”

The white-haired man huffed. “Does it matter? Battle lines were drawn and sides were chosen.” He closed his eyes. “And the fighting began long before anyone now can remember. Now, we all fight just for the sake of fighting it seems.” 

When he opened his eyes, he studied Kakashi intently. The Otsutsuki wasn’t sure what he was trying to find but his face slacked in its ferocity. “It appears,” he murmured, “that you really didn’t know.” 

Kakashi nodded. “I was... unaware of the circumstances.” 

The man hummed. “I see.” He sighed. “Still, it is best you return to the moon.” 

Narrowing his eyes, Kakashi tilted his head. Yet before he could ask why, the man raised a hand for him to stop. 

“Regardless of your reason for being here,” the man explained, “you are an Otsutsuki that is undoubtedly more powerful than the ones here on Earth. If the word were to get out that there is someone _like you_ running around, the clans would be clambering over themselves to try and get you on their side.”

Kakashi could see what the man wasn’t saying: he was a _threat_ to the already unstable balance here. 

All the same, he didn’t _want_ to leave. Because that would defeat the purpose of him sneaking off. 

He hummed before he quickly started forming a plan. “Well... What if I _choose_ a clan?” 

The man before him stiffened as frowned. “What do you mean?”

Kakashi took a deep breath. “I may be limited in my knowledge about how the war began,” he started, “but I know that you are a Senju- one of the clans that was established by one of the heirs of Hagomoro and are apart of this war.” He intentionally left out his family connection. He highly doubted that he would gain any ground if he did. “What if I help you?”

“We don’t need another _weapon,”_ the man snapped.

“But you could use a _false_ _trump card.”_ The man didn’t say anything, so Kakashi further explained. 

“I am not looking to fight for anyone,” he stated firmly. “But as you said, I can be seen as a large threat and a tool. What if you used that to broker some peace between the clans you are at war with?” 

The man just stared at him for a moment. He kept his face solemn, giving away none of his thoughts. Kakashi felt sweat begin to form on the back of his neck and swallowed to wet his dry throat.

Then the man huffed a laugh. He brought up a hand to rub his face. “I can’t believe I am even considering this...” Kakashi heard him mutter. 

The Otsutsuki smiled but it dropped away when the man looked at him again with a hard gaze. “And what is it _you_ want?” 

Feigning innocence, Kakashi smiled again. “I could be doing this out of the goodness of my heart.” And that was a half-truth, given that it was _his_ family that had caused this mess. He at least took some responsibility in this and he’ll be damned if he left things this way.

The man snorted. “Nothing is ever free. So what is it you want to trade for?”

Kakashi’s smile turned a bit more genuine. He spread his hands, showing he had no other intention or tricks. “Teach me about humans.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “What for?” he demanded.

“Call me curious,” Kakashi replied airly. 

The man snorted. “I don’t doubt,” he almost mocked and placed his hands on his hips. “But it appears that I would be getting the better deal out this situation. You can forgive my doubtfulness.”

“Well, such things can be more valuable to different people,” Kakashi countered. Yet the man only gave him an unimpressed look. 

Silence overcame the two of them. The man continued to glare at him, challenging, while Kakashi tried to keep his open demeanor. Yet he couldn’t be annoyed. 

He could see why the man would question his intentions. He was a stranger, even worse, a stranger that was from a clan that had been sectioned from Earth for _years._ It could look to be like gathering information for an invasion. 

Yet that was the _last_ thing he was thinking. 

He swallowed as he came to a decisive decision. A boon for a boon. As Father liked to remind him, give something in order to get something in return. 

He took a deep breath. “I...,” he cleared his throat, “I was very young when I went to the moon.” The man raised an eyebrow at him as Kakashi pushed on. “I am half human. But I know very little about _being_ human.”

He stopped a moment to emphasize the ending of his sentence. Then he finished, “ _That_ is why I am here. I _want_ to learn.”

He stopped then. His heart pounded his chest while he completely stood still. 

The white-haired man folded his arms again and bowed his head slightly.

Kakashi just watched silently while the man’s mind began to process what he said, but only just barely able to see them. The quick lightning in his eyes as they flashed brightly while thoughts and plans formed. He could _see_ when things connected together and how that added to the picture he must have of Kakashi. 

And then just as swiftly as it came, it left. It nearly left the Otsutsuki breathless at being able to witness such a marvel and wondered if he was always so quick.

The man raised his head. “Very well,” he announced loudly. “But when we get to my clan’s compound you _will_ subject yourself to the necessary precautions we will take until you aren’t recognized as a full threat.”

Kakashi simply nodded firmly. He _definitely_ didn’t want to but he recognized a win when he saw one. He would just approach that topic at a later time.

Then the man reached behind his back and proceeded to toss something toward him. It wasn’t round like a bomb, so Kakashi raised his bloodied hand and caught it. 

When he took a look, it was a tightly wound gauze. 

He looked at the man who waved a hand towards his eye that mirrored where Kakashi was injured. “Best wrap that,” he commented. “When we get back to the compound my brother can help heal it.” 

Kakashi nodded again and set to work. As he did, he inquired, “So, since we have an agreement, what is your name?”

The man stiffened and blinked at him. But then he relaxed a second later and murmured, “Tobirama.” He then looked expectantly at Kakashi.

Kakashi smiled, more natural than it had been during this entire encounter. “Kakashi,” he nodded in greeting as best he could while he worked. 

A corner of Tobirama’s mouth tilted upward and nodded back. 

When Kakashi was finished tying the gauze around his head- wrapping his eye and his forehead in case his third eye opened again- he turned his attention back to Tobirama.

The white-haired man nodded firmly. “Stick close,” he ordered. “And don’t lag behind.”

Kakashi nearly laughed at the audacity for this man. 

With a smirk on his lips, the two of them shot off. Kakashi’s heart pounded his chest as this is _much_ better than what he expected. He thought he would be alone for his time here on Earth but instead met someone that was very insightful and interesting. Also considerate it seems, despite his prickly attitude. He didn’t fail to notice that Tobirama was sticking to his new blindside and kept an even pace so Kakashi could follow him as they ran through the woods. 

He rather looked forward to what would happen in the coming future. And getting to know Tobirama more was just a lovely bonus to it all.


End file.
